Scandinavian Almond Cake Recipe

Despite my half-breed Scandinavian heritage, I had never heard of Scandinavian Almond Cake until recently. My favorite neighbor, and full-blooded Norwegian Paul Knutson, told me about it. His family made us corn bread in this odd-shaped pan, and said it was their pan for Norwegian Almond Bread. I had never heard of such a thing. I did a little research online and then asked to borrow the pan so I could add this to my culinary repertoire. (you can purchase a pan on Amazon – they’re not too expensive)

Let me confess that my first attempt was not a total success. While it tasted great, the thing stuck to the pan and came out in clumps. It was a huge blow to my self-esteem as a cook. Sure, we still ate it, and everyone agreed it was delicious – but it wasn’t what I imagined when I set out to perfect this recipe. The second attempt didn’t go much better. Then, it became a battle. Me vs. the Cake Pan. I re-read instructions, tweaked the recipe, and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. Turns out the FOURTH time was the charm. If you’ve struggled with this recipe yourself, read my tips below. After “extensive” research, I think I have this sucker finally figured out.

The best part: its ingredients are found in your pantry. It’s SUPER frugal, but tastes rich. Top with powdered sugar, fruit preserves, a glaze, or whipped cream.

This traditional scandinavian almond cake is easy to make, and a treat for all!

Ingredients

1¼ C. sugar

1 egg

1¼ C. flour

1 stick melted margarine

1½ tsp. almond extract

⅔ C. milk

½ tsp. baking powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, egg, flour, margarine, almond extract, milk and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Spray baking pan with PAM and sprinkle with WONDRA or a light flour. If desired, sprinkle the bottom of the pan with sliced or slivered almonds. Pour in batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan before inverting and removing from pan. Sprinkle slices with powdered sugar before serving.

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I struggled with getting the cake out of the pan the first few times I made it. The secrets to getting it out of the pan are:

Use margarine instead of butter

Spray the pan liberally with Baker’s Joy, or PAM then sprinkle with Wondra flour

Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with almonds before pouring in the batter

Don’t underbake. The cake will turn golden brown before it’s done. Use the toothpick test if necessary.